A stellar Big East matchup awaits us on Friday night, as the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies host the surging St. John’s Red Storm.
The pregame narrative: No. 19 UConn hasn’t flashed nearly as much dominance this year as in past seasons, while No. 12 St. John’s is enjoying its best season since the 1990s. In what should be a tight game, I like Solo Ball and Kadary Richmond to star for their schools.
Check out my St. John’s vs. UConn prop picks for the men’s college basketball matchup on Feb. 7.
St. John’s vs. UConn prop picks
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Best Bet: Ball 15+ points (-150)
This is a lot of juice, but Ball should be at the centre of UConn’s offensive scheme tonight.
Why? Because St. John’s is adept at defending the rim, and Ball is one of the best outside shooters in the country.
- St. John’s defence ranks sixth in NCAA Division I in 2-point percentage (43.1%) and seventh in block rate (16.1%), per KenPom.com.
- Ball leads the Big East in 3PT% (45.6), averaging 3.0 makes on 6.7 attempts.
Last season, UConn could’ve unleashed 7-foot-2 centre Donovan Clingan on St. John’s. The year before that, Adama Sanogo was a star centre for the Huskies to feed.
But this year, they don’t have a big that’s likely to bully the Red Storm. With that in mind, UConn should let Ball get plenty of shots up.
Ball has 15-plus points in nine straight games. He’s shooting 50.7% from 3-point range in that span.
The sophomore guard was a bit player on last year’s national championship squad, but now he’s the top scorer on a team hunting for a three-peat.
Key stat: Ball is coming off a career-high 25 points in a win over No. 11 Marquette. He has 20-plus points in three of his past four matchups.
Quick pick
Richmond 4+ assists (-104): This is Richmond’s first year with St. John’s, but it’s his fifth collegiate season in the tri-state area (with previous stops at Syracuse and Seton Hall).
Everyone he’s been, Richmond has proven he can pass the rock.
The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 4.9 assists this year, marking his fourth consecutive season averaging 4.1 APG or more.
UConn is a tough matchup, as the Huskies only yield assists on 42.5% of opponent field goals (17th-lowest rate in D-I). But this is a nice price for a relatively low assist total.
Richmond has cashed this bet in eight of his past nine games and 18 of 23 (78.3%) on the season.
Picks made at 2:25 p.m. ET on 02/07/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.